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Shazâar
Shazâar is the city of the Southern Plain of Allansia, sometimes referred to as an oasis town. - ??? It is famed for its beautiful appearance and the bizarre nature of its inhabitants have led to it also being known as the "City of Madness". History Little is known from canon about the history of Shazâar although it has been postulated that this city of the Southern Plain was the capital of the old Allansian province of Ciarensia, swelled by refugees from the ruined city-states of Balkash and Cutsilver.Post 420 at [[Titan Rebuilding]] The "City of Madness" |300px|right]] Shazâar’s reputation for the bizarre nature of its inhabitants is said to date back to its religious origins. The main god worshipped in the city is, and has been for a long time, Logaan, Lord of the Tricksters. The fact that devotees of this god advocate the path of Neutrality leads to devotees being in one of two main camps. First, there are those that are never aligned to Good or Evil, which means that they are never in the mainstream and are thus perceived to be different from the norm. Then there are those that actively side with Evil or with Good, with Chaos or with Order, to ensure that a balance is maintained between the two sides. This second type of devotee will often swap alignment dependent upon which is the ascendancy and are therefore also perceived as volatile and unpredictable. In both cases, the majority finds such personages peculiar. The reputation of the town for this spread far and wide and attracted those who would intensify and bolster its character. Many who would have been perceived as misfits in their home towns and also the truly insane have made their way to Shazâar furthering influencing the town and enhancing its reputation. From certain annals, such as ''The Trolltooth Wars, it would certainly seem that the bizarre nature of Shazâarians does justify this pseudonym to a certain degree. - ??? Religion As mentioned, the god Logaan is the chief deity of Shazâar. Many of its customs emanate from the worship of the Lord of the Tricksters. Perhaps the most famous of Shazâar’s customs is Lucre Week. Architecture The entrance into Shazâar takes you on to Moon Street along which can be seen a wide variety of dwellings and other buildings typical of Shazâar. Many dwellings are small, square huts, brightly painted in a multitude of colours in a haphazard manner. Other buildings are tall and sprawling and spires and gables of a seemingly incongruous nature jut out at a variety of angles with apparent no thought as to functionality or design. - ??? Moon Street itself passes through buildings and leads to a market. The market is made up of stalls behind which are many shops of wondrous and bizarre variety. Mercantile Centre Shazâar is renowned for the variety of merchants that find their way to the town as well as the variety of merchandise sold from Bomba Fruit to curses. - ??? The city would appear to relatively wealthy, sitting on trade routes that converge from northern Allansia, via Silverton, eastern Allansia, via Salamonis and Trolltooth Pass, and the camel-trains from the south that traverse the Desert of Skulls, perhaps to the Sapphire City. Shops *''Diseases and Deformities: This shop is not a healer as might be guessed but a vendor of diseases and deformities. A roaring trade is done from beggars wanting to catch non-life threatening diseases or have mutilations so as to authenticate their profession, to curse-witches procuring vials of poison to use in the absence of long range curses. Recreation *Ogreball'' is popular in Shazâar. Inns Shazâar is famed for its ale, which according to Calorne Manitus, the famed Allansian census-taker, is the best in Allansia. There are a number of inns where this can be purchased. The most famous inn of Shazâar is The Fatted Pig located in the centre if the settlement. - ??? It has dark green walls and blue timbers. The sign for the inn is a live sow suspended in a cage, hanging outside the inn. Like many other such inns, The Fatted Pig has a wide range of clientèle with a good proportion of rogues and villains, merchants and mercenaries. It is said that a number of famous personages have visited this inn including: *Calorne Manitus *Chadda Darkmane *Jamut Mantrapper *There are unconfirmed reports that even the god Telak has partaken of Shazâarian Ale at The Fatted Pig. Whether this is true or not, The Fatted Pig has benefited from the rumour with devotees of the god of Courage travelling far and wide to pay homage to the site and drink in his honour. - ??? Another well known inn is The Singing Minstrel. Ruler Shazâar is a barony - ??? and is ruled therefore by a Baron. The current incumbent is Lord Tanneth and in keeping with the nature of his city the Baron does not live in a grand castle but rather a house, albeit the grandest house in the city. - ??? It is rumoured that his daughter is not the most attractive of maidens. It is unlikely that the Baron of Shazaar's rule extends far across the plains, though he may demand yearly tribute from small coastal settlements such as Oyster Bay (although they could also pay the merchants of Silverton). See Also References Category:Blacksand Entries Category:Cities, Towns and Villages Category:Trolltooth Wars Entries